The Flywheel

This Week's Program: October 16th,
2009

Richmond Rotary welcomes Monterey, Mexico Rotary

The Sierra Madre Oriental is the spectacular backdrop of Monterey,
Mexico. The angled tower is the Puente de la Unidad,
a suspension bridge.

Richmond Rotary, the combined Rotaries of West County and
District 5160 host a delegation of Rotarians from the Monterey,
Mexico Rotary Club.

Last MEETING: October 9th, 2009

Welcome, Invocation, Thought for the Day

President Glenn Daggs rang the bell and launched
our second meeting of the year at La Strada Restaurant (mmm...
veal & mushrooms). Josh Surowitz, who
has been doing his duty more than usual lately lead the club
in the Pledge of Allegiance. Markku Pelanne gave
us a Thought/Invocation for the Day.

Rotarians with Guests

Tom Butt introduced his guest the seldom
seen Tom Powers past Richmond Council member
and County Supervisor who now spends much of his time pursuing
the good life as the principal wine maker of the Alhambra Valley.

Sunshine Report

Bill Koziol reported that the sun was shining and no other
member news. Bill did remind members to use the use the Sunshine Intelligence form (always in the column on left) if they
know of a member that is under the weather.

Announcements

Rapid fire announcements included:

Bill Koziol looking for volunteers for
the legally permitted wine sales at the Pt. Richmond Fall
Fest Saturday afternoon. (This event is now over by get in
touch with Bill and Mark to help support this primary fund
raiser for the Richmond Rotary Peace project).

Prez-In-Waiting Alan Baer thanked the
participants for supporting the Rotary Boat Loading activities
at the Home Front Festival. The club made $759 this year.

Alan reminded members of the holiday auction December 4th,
a little early this year and to be thinking f those great
bottles of 100 year old scotch, fine art and trips to Paris
they will want to be donating for the auction fund raiser.

The Ghosts of Shipyard III Halloween
costume luncheon and fun fest (Oct. 30) is just around the
corner so get your tickets early. Proceeds from the event
fund the Richmond Rotary Peace Project (learn
more).

Recognitions

Dandy Don Lau (the Menahune not the Kahuna)
recognized several people starting with:

Cory (the Kid) Lawrence who celebrated
his wedding anniversary Sept. 7th and his birthday Oct. 7th .
Cory didn’t say what B-day it is but he is still the
club’s “Kid”. Cory had $40 for the general
fund along with his wife’s plea that we get a better
picture of him for the Rooster. Cory was advised that you
can only do so much with Photoshop. (Good to see you Cory,
don’t be a stranger.)

Dandy Don then focused his attention on Margaret
Morkowski who also confessed to having a Sept.
birthday and enjoyed it with four great days in Monterey
including the Monterey Bay Aquarium and a $$$ contribution
to the club.

Don then asked Tom Butt what happened
29 years ago, against background noise about the Loma Prieta
Earthquake, Tom said he didn’t, know, with a sheepish
grin and was reminded he joined Richmond Rotary.

Happy and Sad Dollars

Jim Young said he had Happy $$ for a good
time at the Home Front Festival listening to Bob Dabney,
who really has his hands on the source of power in much of
our local politics. Oh yes Jim and Linda are newly
minted grandparents with the arrival of granddaughter Areowynn
Rose Johnson to daughter Zura & husband Scott
in Wilmington DE.

Michael Gill had Sad $$ for Barbara Obele
passing as she was on of the first people he met in the Richmond
business community.

Josh Surowitz had Sad $$ for the outcome
of the Detroit Tigers baseball game that he flew to Detroit
to watch, but then couldn’t.

Bill Koziol said he had a Happy $100 as
he and wife Kirsten are expecting their
first child in April.

Then Josh Serowitz in a very rare Rotary
event conjunction stood up to say he is too competitive to
let Bill K’s announcement go unchallenged
and that he and wife Emily are also expecting
their first child in April. (We understand there may
be a Rotary betting pool organized around which tax deduction
will arrive first.)

While it was hard to beat those Happy $$, Jon Lawlis and Glenn
Daggs were both Happy about the District Conference
last weekend at Lake Tahoe in spite of the Richmond Rotary
Golf Team showing.

Bob Dabney was Happy to contribute $100
to the Peres School Teacher Fund and that
contribution stimulated ‘in kind’ contributions
from both Jon Lawlis and Glenn Daggs.

Since Glenn had his wallet out, he contributed another
Happy $100 in recognition of his son’s 8th Birthday.

Norm’s Nonsense

You know you are getting older when ...
- You can remember when the air was clean and sex was dirty.
- You're in a bar and you ask the gal sitting next to you, "Where
have you been all my life?" She answers "For the
first 40 years I wasn't born yet."

Raffle Results

No balls, no raffle.

THE PROGRAM

Understanding Dreams

Jim Young introduced Sydney Metrick, PhD
as today’s
speaker noting that she is an “expressive arts therapist” with
a focus on “loss and grief counseling”; owner of
Chicken Soup Counseling in El Sobrante and the author of three
books, The Art of Ritual, Crossing the Bridge and “I
Do”.

Sydney said dreams work through your subconscious mind and
deal with symbols and impressions that may not be apparent
to conscious thinking. Dreams create motifs out of life experiences. Sydney
then went interactive, moving around the room asking questions: “Does
anyone have a symbol on?” (Silence.) “What about
wedding rings?” Then came Rotary pins, and flags and
other symbols which brought this question; “What do they
mean?” She then ran through a brief inventory of symbol
meaning including some of the “universal” symbols
identified by Joseph Campbell, the Hero, the journey, the pure
at heart, etc. and went on to say that understanding dreams
first requires an exploration of their symbols and the meaning
of those symbols to the dreamer.

Sydney quoted the Talmud which I will paraphrase, “A
forgotten dream is like a lost letter from God”. You
can develop insights and understandings through the study of
your dreams and dream symbols. Sydney helps people understand
symbols in their dreams through various techniques of free
association including; ascribing meaning to pictures; sand
trays; dream colleagues, made from randomly selected and assembled
cutouts and magazine pictures; dream journals, and; dream groups
and classes.

If you would like to better understand your dreams or get
in touch with your subconscious, non-linear self, contact Dr.
Sydney Metrick at www.chickensoupcounselling.com

- Rotating Scribe, Jim Young

Upcoming Programs

October 23
Michael Meltzer, an environmental scientist and science writer,
will discuss the current NASA mission to the “Ringed Planet
System”.